Rev.2:18-29, I’ll give you the iron scepter and the Morning Star(Churc…

Rev.2:18-29, I’ll give you the iron scepter and the Morning Star(Church in Thyatira)

  We've heard of Jesus, who has so far served three churches. To the church in Ephesus, if you return to first love, I will give you the fruits of the life tree. To the church in Smyrna, if you are to be faithful until death, I will give you crown of life. To the church in Pergamum, if you throw away an idolatory and the committing sexual immorality, I will give you the manna(the eternal life) and a white stone(invitation to the banquet in the heaven).

  Today, Jesus says to the Church in Thyatira. "Hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.“(v.29)  His eyes looks like blazing fire(He inspects us). His feet are like burnished bronze(He judges by His power). He is like the Son of God(Not Appolo the  protector god of Thyatira but Jesus rules over Thyatira).

1. Jesus praises the church in Thyatira, "You've done well in deeds for me, and you are better than you did at first.."
  The Lord knows it and praises it, says, “You've done the deeds for the Lord,  love, faith, service, patience, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Are you receiving this recognition from the Lord?

2. Jesus have against it, “You accepted the herecy of Jezebel.”
  But He rebukes it, 'You tolerated Jezebel.' Jezebel was an evil woman in the Old Testament. She was the queen of King Ahab, a wicked influencial who has attracted the god of Baal to Israel and spread idolatry and fornication. The 1 Kings 16:31 says, “... but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him.”

  Jezebel of Thyatira was a self-proclaimed prophet who deceived the Saints to entice and to eat the offerings of idols. At the time, he said it was God's will when he held a guild meeting in the temple of Trimnas and Apollo, and ate and performed idol offerings. This happened in Korean church history. 1) They said it was God's will, and they lured the members to worship a Japanese shrine (1938-1945). 2) He bowed to his deceased ancestors for peace between family members at home.
So how did the Thyatira Church fall for these temptations? 1) They didn’t have no spiritual discernment. 2) Some Saints fell for her temptation because they thought her words were right for their hearts.  We must strike a balance between truth and love. Jesus' cross shows all the anger of God's love and sin. We have to tolerate it with love. Matt. 18:21-22 say, you have to forgive seventy-seven times and defeat what must be defeated by truth. The reasons is unacceptable to Jezebel are that 1) she has a bad influence on the Church, and 2) she has not repented.

  So the Lord proclaims punishment. Verses 22,23. “So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23.I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.” As remnants, we should not fall in the temptation of idolatry, but only live by holding firm to Jesus' faith.

3. Jesus tells the victor to give the iron scepter and the Morning Star as prizes (26-28).

  Num.24:17,“... A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.” 
The Lord allows us to join us in the Lord's authority over all nations with iron scepter. The Morning Star when shines brightly at dawn is Jesus himself at Rev.22:16. Jesus causes us to step back from our darkness, chagrin, tears, stuffiness, and hard work.

We want in Jesus' name to overcome the lessons of Jezebel, to keep the Lord's works to the end, to possess the iron scepter governing all nations, and to be the blessed children of the Lord, accompanying by Jesus. Amen.